The Sacred Bond
by Bryanven0m
Summary: (Set after the second episode of Season 3.) The brotherhood of the Tofu is off to find Evangelyne and her son, but they aren't the only ones. A young Cra teenage boy is determined to save his best friend. Nothing will happen to her. Not on his watch. (I don't own Wakfu. I wish I did, but I don't.)
1. The haunting visions

The Cra Kingdom was functioning as a kingdom should. The citizens were all going through their normal routines and the warriors all watched over them and guarded the kingdom. In the castle, two Cra guards were standing outside of a door, conversing with one another.

"Do you think that the boy is ready?" asked the male guard.

"I don't know. That kid has been through a lot," said the female guard. "Losing his mother, half his sight, then he's forced to do this."

"Do not forget that he's doing this for the safety of the Cra Kingdom. He only has two hours left of mental training. Then he will have to prove his worth."

"And if he's not ready?"

"Then he won't survive. Simple as that."

"Hmm, very well then. I suppose we just wait another two hours then."

Inside the room they were guarding, a young Cra teenager was meditating. He had been meditating consecutively for about two years now, feeding on the Wakfu of nearby wildlife for survival. In his meditation he pictures himself sailing in a small boat, in the middle of an endless ocean exploring the World of Twelve. In this vast ocean, he is currently fishing. He felt a small tug on the fishing rod and began to reel it in. Suddenly, that small tug grew and began pulling the boat in whatever direction it wanted. A massive storm began to brew and lightning nearly hit his boat. As the teenage boy began attempting to turn the sails, he noticed that they were advancing towards a whirlpool. He heard a loud noise and looked up to find that his sail was on fire. He had no hope of escaping whirlpool. As the boat spiraled downward into the whirlpool, he looked into the void that was the whirlpool. He expected to see nothing more than a pitch black void that he'd eventually get sucked into. He widened his eyes at what he saw. He saw a tall, weird looking Dragon holding a Iop by the neck and dropping him to his death. He then saw a younger Iop jump and fall after the older Iop. He then saw two Cra. One of them was small male Cra, and the other was an older, pregnant Cra. The pregnant Cra seemed familiar. As he was being sucked into the whirlpool, he heard the pregnant Cra scream a name.

"DALLY!"

The Cra teenager awoke with a start and landed on the ground back first. He groaned in pain before getting on weak feet. He took a knee and waited for his legs to gain strength. He finally got back on his two feet and looked around. The interior of the room was pure white. It was hard to tell where the door was. He looked around and noticed a table full of weapons on it. He walked up to it and found a note. He picked up the note and read it allowed.

"Do not read this until you've finished your mental training," he read. "Well, too late for that."

He continued to read the note.

"Young Cra, these weapons have been selected by your superiors to be your weapons of choice. You can have all of them, or one of them. It is your decision."

He tossed the note and began examining the weapons. One of them was a large Axe. The blade was razor sharp and it had an incantation engraved on the edge of the blade. He equipped the axe and moved on to the next weapon. It was a large bracelet that doubled as a crossbow. There were no arrows, but that would never be a problem for the lad. He equipped the crossbow, then looked at the next weapon. It was a sword. The blade was razor sharp. He picked up the sword and a red aura enveloped the sword and his hand. The aura disappeared and the sword's blade now had the name of the Cra boy on it: Horizontorus. Horizon equipped the sword and looked at the final weapon. It seemed like another long bracelet, only this one doubled as a shield. He put on the bracelet.

"I like all of them these," he said. "But I'd still prefer my bow."

Horizon examined the weapons and looked at his hands. His right hand seemed completely normal, although it was hard to tell. He was completely blind in his right eye. He then looked at the palm of his left hand. It seemed normal. He turned to look at the back of his hand. As soon as he got a good look, he widened his eyes and stepped back, clutching his heart. On the back of his right hand, was a mark. A bow and arrow. This frightened Horizon because it never became visible unless his best friend is in danger.

Horizon widened his eyes in realization. He now understood why that pregnant Cra from his visions looked familiar. He knew her. The female pregnant Cra was none other than...

"Evangelyne," he muttered. He knew he had to get out of here quickly. But, first he'd find his bow, which was a gift to him from Eva. He stood in front of the barely distinct door, and prepared to break it down.

(CLIFFHANGER!)


	2. The Bold Escape

The two guards heard something at the door they were guarding. They looked over at the time.

"It hasn't been two hours already, has it?" asked the female guard.

"No," said the male guard. "No it has not."

The two guards stood in front of the door with their bows aimed at the ready. Meanwhile, Horizon was attempting to kick down the door, and failing. He then tried ramming against it, also to no avail.

"Come on damn it!" he yelled. He pressed his head against the door, and small tears began escaping his eyes. He was hopeless. How would he be able to save Evangelyne if he couldn't even break down a simple door? He then heard a humming noise coming from his arsenal. He reached for his back and grabbed the source of the humming noise: the axe. It appeared normal for the most part, except for the blade. It was glowing slightly, and the marks on the edges were red. He examined the axe before looking at the door. He had decided to put the axe to good use. He swung the axe at the door once. It broke. The axe was working! He swung the axe again, and the door continued cracking. He swung the axe again and it was on the verge of falling apart. Letting out one yell of anger, he swung the axe one more time. The axe successfully destroyed the door and immediately the two guards opened fire. Horizon used his axe and deflected the arrows before punching the male guard in the face with his left hand. He then used his shield and hit the female guard in the head, who hit the wall and fell unconscious. When that was over, Horizon put his weapons back in their proper places.

"Well, that takes care of them," he said to no one in particular. "Alright, time to recap the plan. Find my bow, get out of here, rescue Evangelyne. I will think of later phases of the plan later. Hmm...I don't know where they put my bow...the commander will know. He's the one who took it in the first place. I will go to his quarters and politely ask him where he kept my bow."

With that, Horizon began walking towards his objective. He took the time to look at a few paintings of Cra history. It was fascinating to him. The Cra seemed to be creatures of battle and philosophy. It made Horizon wonder what would happen if a Cra were to abandon such philosophies and give in to insanity. There was one more piece of history that fascinated the young Cra. It was the tale of the Elemental Cra.

According to history texts, the Elemental Cra were four warriors, specifically chosen by Cra herself, meant to protect and bring balance to the World of Twelve. Each species had its own set of Elementals, excluding Dragons and Eliatropes. But it was said that the Elemental Cra were the bravest, the purest, the smartest, and the strongest. Horizon loved reading about the Elemental Cra, and his mother used to tell that story to him when he was just a baby. He became saddened as he thought of his mother, who lost her life a few short years ago. He stopped reminiscing when he found himself right next to the Dining Hall.

"Perfect," he said. "I can go through here to the kitchens to collect rations. I might not know where Evangelyne is, but I certainly know that I have a long journey ahead of me. I'll need to be quick. I've had luck with avoiding the guards, but that can change quickly."

Horizon made his way through the Dining Hall, jumped over the serving table, and made his way to the kitchen. Immediately he grabbed some freshly picked fruits, alongside about 13 loaves of bread. He didn't really worry too much about meat. He knew how to hunt, so it'd be a perfect opportunity to put those skills to good use. He was about to leave the kitchen when he heard voices coming from the Dining Hall.

"Whoever's here!" one voice yelled. "Come out and reveal yourself!"

"There's no escape!" yelled another voice. "You're outnumbered! Surrender and pay for your crimes!"

"Oh...shit," said Horizon. "If they find out its me, both me and Evangelyne will be good as dead. I need to find a way to neutralize them without killing them. That's the best option right now."

Horizon looked through the Dining Hall and spotted a chandelier above the guards. That would most certainly do. The rope seemed to thick for a mere arrow to deal with. That's when Horizon got an idea. He grabbed his axe, aimed it at the chandelier, then threw the axe. The axe successfully cut the rope and the chandelier fell on top of the guards. Horizon ran to the guards to check and see if they were alive. He checked each of their pulses. Both guards were alive, thank Cra. Horizon got up and continued his journey. The Commander's quarters wasn't much farther now.

"Alright, I'm almost there," said Horizon. "I just need to turn to the right just around the corner then-WHOA!"

As soon as Horizon turned the corner, he hurried back against the wall due to being fired upon by approximately 75 Cra soldiers, armed with a bow, or crossbow, aiming at the corner.

"You have nowhere to hide kid," said one soldier. "Just surrender now before we're forced to kill you."

"Shut up!" said another soldier. "We were ordered to neutralize and take him _alive_. You got that?"

"Yeah yeah whatever."

Horizon had to think for a moment. There were too many for him to take on in combat, and if he tried shooting at them with the crossbow, he'd have more arrows in his chest than bones in his body. He had to think quickly. Quickly...that was it! Horizon would just run past them at quick speeds. Horizon was capable of moving at a speed faster than sound. Horizon took a step forward, and the Cra soldiers opened fire. As soon as they did, Horizon ran as fast as he could, dodging arrows and soldiers. The soldiers were baffled by what just happened. Horizon made it to the end of the hall. He turned to see the soldiers scatter away from him in an effort to sweep the castle in search of him. Horizon turned to find that he was right in front of the Commander's Quarters. He began to hear something on the other side of the door. He moved closer to the door and pressed his left ear against it. He heard female giggling and moaning while the captain was saying something Horizon couldn't understand. Horizon threw up in his mouth. That was disgusting. He shook his head and proceeded to break down the door. There were two naked females who screamed and desperately attempted to cover themselves up while the shirtless commander looked at Horizon with an angry glare.

"Care to explain what in the name of Cra you think you're doing?!" he asked.

"Where's my bow?" asked Horizon. The Commander chuckled

"So, that's what this is all about?" he asked. "Well kid, I'm not going to tell you."

"Oh, you're going to tell me," said Horizon. Even if I have to beat the information out of you, I will get the answers I seek. Now, I'm going to ask you again. Where? Is? My? Bow?"

The Commander grabbed his sword and swiped at Horizon. Horizon blocked with his shield and punched the Commander in his fat gut. The Commander hit the wall and groaned. Horizon grabbed the Commander by the neck and slammed him against the wall.

"This will be the last time I am going to ask you politely," said Horizon. "Where is my bow?"

"I will die before I talk," said the Commander. "Or rather, you will."

The Commander took his sword and stabbed Horizon in the leg. Horizon yelled out in pain and stepped back, releasing his grip on the Commander. The Commander grabbed his sword and looked down at Horizon.

"That is why you should be more careful and actually finish your training," said the Commander. "You are skilled, but you have much to learn before you can ever again hope to stand your ground against me. A day sadly, that shall never come. Now then, prepare for die!"

Horizon was angry. Very angry. He clenched his fists and let out a low growl. Suddenly, the irises on Horizon's eyes appeared to be alright with flames and Horizon yelled out in rage. He charged at the Captain and slammed his head against the wall three times before throwing him. He began punching the Commander repeatedly.

"Where's?! My?! BOW?!" yelled Horizon as he punched the Commander. The Commander waved his arms in surrender.

"Alright alright!" he shouted. "I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Horizon stopped and glared at the Commander.

"Then tell me," he said in a soft but sinister voice.

"I put it in my personal armory in this very room! It's in a locked room, and only I know the combination!"

"Then get to work," said Horizon. He threw the Commander and drew his sword in case The Commander tried anything. The Commander opened the locked room and handed Horizon the bow before taking his sword and attempting to stab Horizon once again. Horizon kicked the Commander and knocked him unconscious. Horizon patted the Commander's head and then looked up at the naked women.

"Get dressed and go home," he said. "This place is about to become a war zone."

The girls nodded and left with their clothes. He equipped his bow and made his way to the front entrance of the castle. When he arrived there, he found the entire Cra army waiting for him. They all had their bows at the ready.

"This is your last chance kid," said one of the soldiers. "Drop your weapons or be executed on the spot!"

Horizon grabbed his bow and pulled on the string, preparing to fire an arrow. The arrow was a lighter shade of yellow than the standard Cra arrow. Horizon fired it in the center and used his shield to cover his eyes. It was a flash arrow. It exploded and blinded almost everyone. Horizon took that opportunity to run as fast as he can, leaving the castle, past the marketplace, over any potential blockade and crashing through the kingdom's borders. He was rolling on the ground until he quickly recovered and held his head. His ears were ringing and he had a massive headache. He began moving East, hoping that would take him to where he needed to go.

"Hang on Evangelyne. I'm coming."


	3. The Challenge

About an hour had passed since Horizon had left the kingdom of Cra and headed East to find Evangelyne. He chose to go East because it was something that his mother had often taught him to do.

"Go in the direction of the sunrise," she said. "Go that way, and Cra will guide you to your destination."

He was not entirely certain whether he actually believed that or not, but he trusted his mother. He became saddened once more when he thought of his mother. He didn't like thinking about her after she died. It would often make him cry. He didn't want to cry. He wanted to be strong. Strong for his mother. Strong for his home. Strong for Evangelyne. He had to keep moving. He had already planned his journey. He would travel while the sun was up, set up camp during the sunset, and sleep during the night. Of course, he would hunt for food, and bathe in the river every two days. He will primarily hunt for deer, and sometimes a bear if he's lucky enough. He would worry about it later. Right now, he just needed to focus on going deeper into the forest, closer to Evangelyne. He would use his axe to mark trees that he-

"Wait a minute," said Horizon after he reached for his axe. "Where's my axe?"

When the realization finally hit him, he groaned in frustration

"Damn it!" he yelled. "How am I supposed to avoid getting lost if I don't have my axe?!"

Horizon then noticed that his shield bracelet was glowing. That was odd. He eventually heard a whooshing noise advance towards him. Suddenly his hand jerked forward and grabbed the axe, which had been coming to Horizon ever since he entered the forest. Horizon's eyes widened in amazement and bewilderment. He looked at the axe.

"Man that's awesome!" he yelled. "This will most definitely help!"

Horizon looked up and noticed that the sun was going down. Time seemed to pass very quickly when you were thinking about how you're going to survive in a forest. He decided to set up camp where he was. He walked up to a large tree. This tree would do nicely for firewood. He took his axe and swung it once. It managed to cut through more than half of the tree. He swung the axe one more time and the tree fell down. Horizon walked over to where it fell and proceeded to remove the limbs and branches before placing them on the ground, getting some dry grass, then using his axe to create sparks. It took a few attempts, but the fire started successfully.

"Finally!" he said. "Alright then, I'll use some of my rations for dinner, then I will rest on the log. At first light, I continue my journey."

Horizon sat down in front of the fire, grabbed his bag, and took some fruits. He put them in a makeshift bowl and mushed them together and cooked it in the fire for about fifteen minutes. When that was done, he had created a sort of delicious mush of fruit. He ate it after letting it cool for a short time. It tasted delicious. He then stretched his arms and legs before resting on the log and falling asleep.

Horizon opened his eyes to find himself in a barren wasteland, surrounded by nothing but death. He looked around until he the Elemental Cras fighting some demons. He tried to move but found that he couldn't. He felt a corpse grab his leg. He looked down to see that the corpse that grabbed him was Evangelyne.

"Why haven't you saved me?!" she demanded. "Why are you just letting me die?!"

"I...I'm not," said Horizon. "I'm rescuing you. I'm trying to find you."

"Well then what's taking so long?!" She retorted. "Save me! Save my son! Save us! SAVE US!"

Horizon awoke with a small gasp. He remained in the same position until he heard a noise. It sounded a lot like...crying. Crying? He looked towards his fire to find a young Cra boy with his face in his knees. He was sobbing. Horizon could tell. He slowly stood up without making any noise, then advanced towards the boy. He put a hand on his shoulder, and the boy tensed up and froze.

"Easy," said Horizon. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy relaxed a little and went back to crying. Horizon felt saddened. He hated watching children cry. He wrapped his arms around the boy and gave him a sympathetic hug. The boy hugged Horizon and cried into his shoulder. Horizon just patted his back.

"There you go," said Horizon. "Just let it all out and you'll be okay."

The boy eventually stopped crying and let go of Horizon. Horizon did the same then looked at the boy. His face was visible thanks to the fire, so Horizon could see him. Horizon widened his eyes when he realized who it was.

"The boy from my vision," he said.

"What are you talking about?" asked the boy.

Horizon looked at the boy and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"What's your name boy?" asked Horizon.

"Flopin," the boy responded.

"Flopin, listen to me carefully," said Horizon. "My name is Horizontorus. You may call me Horizon. I need your help. There's a pregnant Cra that you might know that's in grave danger."

"My mother," said Flopin.

"Your mother?" asked Horizon.

"Yeah. She and I were kidnapped by a Dragon and put in some kind of tower. We'd been trying to escape. I barely managed to escape. Mother stayed behind because she didn't want to put the baby in danger."

Flopin was on the verge of tears once again. Horizon shook him once.

"Don't cry," said Horizon. "Your mother would want you to the strong during a situation like this. Listen. I'm going to rescue your mother, but I need your help. I need you to tell me from which direction you came from. It will make it far easier for us to find rescue her."

"Us?" asked Flopin.

"Yes," said Horizon. "Us. I am going to need any and all information that you can remember, okay?"

"O-okay!" said Flopin. "She's over this way! Follow me!"

Flopin ran North and Horizon followed. His mom was right. Head East and Cra would help you. She helped Horizon by having the boy cross paths with him. His path to Evangelyne was closer than ever.

"While we're going this way, I want to know something," said Flopin. "How do you know my mother?"

"She and I used to train together before she went to be the bodyguard for princess Amalia," Horizon answered. He didn't want to delve into the subject. Right now, his main intent was too find her. Flopin could sense that and decided to drop the subject.

"Alright, we're almost there!" Flopin said after three hours of travel. Flopin stopped and his eyes widened. "No..."

Horizon could tell something was wrong. Horizon stepped in front of Flopin and noticed why Flopin widened his eyes. Standing in the bottom of a hill, a few kilometers away from them, was the Brotherhood of the Tofu, stuck in a time trap.

"Father!" Flopin yelled. Horizon put a hand over Flopin's mouth.

"Quiet boy!" he said. "If you speak loud again, our enemies will have a higher chance of finding us. Do you want that?!"

"No sir," said a saddened Flopin.

"You have to keep your voice down," said Horizon. "Alright, now let's assess the situation. Boy, what do you see?"

Flopin looked at the Brotherhood of the Tofu.

"They appear to be in some kind of trap, and they look much older..I can't tell from here."

"You're right," said Horizon. "They are stuck in a Time trap. With every step they take, they will get older until there is nothing left except dust and bits of bone. Stupid Xelors and their contraptions. I think a Temporal Reversal arrow ought to fix this."

"A what?" asked Flopin.

"A bow that has the capabilities of turning back time. Useful for when you want to correct a mistake. I only have one more of these. This arrow should neutralize the effects of the Time Trap and restore them to their regular age."

Once Horizon was done explaining, he drew his bow and pulled back. The arrow was a light blue color.

"Dear Cra above, don't let me miss," he prayed before firing the arrow.

Yugo was struggling to move. Top that off with dealing with the voices of Nox and Quilby in his head, or in the realm of nothing, and he was tired out. He was started to give up struggling. Some of the others had already given up. Ruel did, Percedal did, Amalia was on the verge of it, and Elely was desperately trying to push forward. Amalia looked up and noticed the Temporal Reversal arrow hit the center of the time trap. The clock in the ground stopped moving and jammed. It eventually cracked in two and the Time Trap was destroyed. They were all restored to their proper age.

Horizon stood up and looked over at Flopin.

"Get on my back and hold on boy," he said. Flopin did as he was told and Horizon moved at his fastest speed towards the Brotherhood of the Tofu.

Oropo and Adamai noticed that the Time Trap was destroyed. Adamai was far from happy. He was severely agitated.

"What was that?!" he demanded.

"I do not know Adamai," said Oropo. "Let's go Down there and find out."

Yugo and the others groaned when Yugo noticed Horizon running towards him. Yugo tried to guard himself, but he was tired. Horizon stopped in front of Yugo and shook him.

"Are you alright, Eliatrope?" asked Horizon. Yugo nodded. Horizon then went and picked up Percedal.

"Father!" said Flopin as he ran and hugged his father. Percedal realized that it was Flopin who was hugging him and he hugged back, the tears flowing from his face.

"Flopin," he said. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Brother!" yelled Elely. The two siblings hugged as Percedal looked over at Horizon

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Horizon," he answered. "I am here to rescue Evangelyne. You must be Percedal of Sadlygrove."

"In the flesh," said Percedal.

"Alright, you don't need to rub it in everyone's faces!" yelled Rubilax. Horizon rolled his eyes and looked over as Ruel was laughing excitedly.

"By Enutrof I'm alive!" he said. "Take that death! Old Ruel Stroud still has a few decades left in him!"

"Everyone's alright," said Amalia.

"How unfortunate," said Adamai.

Everyone turned to see him. Percedal charged at Adamai in a rage. Adamai simply whipped him with his tail. Percedal fell to the ground in pain.

"Father!" yelled Flopin.

"Papa!" yelled Elely.

They both ran to their father.

"It seems that the young Cra managed to escape," said Oropo. "Take him Adamai."

Adamai charged at Flopin, but Horizon was faster. He hit Adamai in the face with his shield. Adamai stepped back and moved his jaw.

"Not bad," said Adamai.

"Ad, why?" asked Yugo. "I've been searching for months for you!"

Adamai chose to ignore his brother. Oropo cleared his throat and spoke.

"It was entirely his choice," said Oropo. "Now, if I heard correctly, you desire to rescue Evangelyne? Well then, Brotherhood of the Tofu, there are 13 floors in my Tower of Dreams, one for every goddess. If you can make it to Evangelyne while maintaining your beliefs, then you all get to leave here safely."

"We accept your challenge," said Horizon.

"Wonderful!"

"But know this Xelor," said Horizon. "When we finish this challenge, and Evangelyne is safe, I will return here, and I will kill you."

Oropo chuckled.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you try. Come Adamai," he said.

He and Adamai disappeared. Horizon turned to the Brotherhood of the Tofu.

"Don't just stand there, come on!" yelled Horizon. He moved towards the tower, the children and the Brotherhood of the Tofu following close behind.


	4. The First Floor

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" yelled Amalia. "WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT IN THERE AND YOU SUDDENLY DECIDE TO ACCEPT THAT GUY'S CHALLENGE?!"

"WELL EXCUSE ME PRINCESS!" yelled Horizon. "FORGIVE ME FOR WANTING TO SAVE MY ONLY FRIEND BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO HER OR THE BABY!"

"I'M HER FRIEND TOO, BUT WE STILL NEED TO TH-"

"ENOUGH!" yelled Percedal. Horizon and Amalia ceased their arguing and looked over at Percedal. "Eva is somewhere in that tower! I know her. She's more than capable of defending herself, but she's pregnant. I don't want anything to happen to the baby or my wife. Can't we just stop arguing and find a way to get to her?"

Horizon and Amalia looked at each other, gave one another the "this isn't over" expression, then nodded in agreement.

"You're right. My apologies," said Horizon.

"Sorry Dally," said Amalia. "Let's focus on finding Eva."

They began walking until they were in front of the door. Percedal looked up at the door with a look of pride and confidence.

"I've got this!" he said. He went to kick the door down, but instead, ended up on the ground with a hurt toe and a chipped toenail. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Nicely done, hotshot," said Rubilax. "The only thing you managed to break down was your pinky toe!"

"Shut up Rubi!" yelled Percedal.

"Let me take a look," said Horizon. He placed his hand on the door, and began examining it. It looked like a puzzle door, where you had to solve a conundrum in order to be granted access. However, it was different from the usual puzzle door, due to one unique feature. The thing that stood out to him the most was in the center of the door. There was a marking, written in Xelor. He had only briefly learned the Xelor language and didn't really take the time to study every word. Horizon could make out what the door was saying. It was saying blood. It was time for a lesson.

"Come children," said Horizon. Elely and Flopin both hurried to his side. "Tell me girl, what do you see that makes this puzzle door different than the rest?"

"I know you can't break it down," said Elely. "And the middle of it looks weird."

"What about you boy?" asked Horizon. "What do you see?"

"The center of the door is written in Xelor...I can't make out what it's saying," said Flopin.

"Indeed, it is written in Xelor," said Horizon. "The door has the word 'blood' written in Xelor at the center of it. This puzzle door doubles as a blood oath door."

"Blood oath?" asked Elely, who was really confused.

"The conundrum required to open this door is meant to keep away any outsiders," said Horizon. "Mother used this kind of door at our home. Only a very few people are chosen to open the Blood Oath door. But, I am going to try something. Stand back children."

The children did as they were told and stepped back. Horizon drew his sword and slowly ran the blade through his hand. The blood was staining the sword and leaking from his hand. Horizon clenched the hand into a fist and took a deep breath before extending the palm once again and placing it on the center of the door, right on the Xelor symbol. The symbol began to glow a bright red color and emit a low, pulsating, humming sound. Finally, after five seconds, the door slowly began to open. Horizon widened his eyes in surprise, as did everyone else.

"Whoa!" yelled Elely. "How did you know that would work?"

"I didn't," said Horizon. This caused Elely to sweatdrop and awkwardly chuckle. "Come, the first floor awaits us, as does the next challenge."

Horizon entered the Tower of Dreams, followed closely by the Brotherhood of the Tofu. The first floor appeared to be a bright red color and consisted of multiple torture devices that were stained in blood. Flopin was a little frightened and stayed behind Horizon. Elely looked around in confusion.

"What are all these things?" asked Elely. "They look strange."

"Torture devices," said Horizon. "Devices that have been built with the intention of inflicting lots of pain, and sometimes kill. There are two possibilities to this. The first possibility is that this Xelor is one sick bastard."

Horizon walked to one of the torture devices. It looked like your typical bear trap. There was blood dripping from it. It had been used recently. Horizon let some of the Blood fall on his left index finger and he licked and ingested the Blood.

"The second possibility."

"Which one's that?" asked Amalia.

"The second possibility is that our first opponent is a Sacrier," said Horizon. "From what I had heard, they have quite the fascination with pain, and they seem to enjoy it. Perhaps this one enjoys it a little too much..."

Horizon's right ear began to twitch. He had heard something. His right eye might have lost its sight, but his right ear could hear more than it could before. He quickly turned around and drew his crossbow.

"Get down!" he yelled. The Brotherhood of the Tofu did as they were told and Horizon opened fire. The arrow had hit a female Sacrier on the arm. This caused the Sacrier to laugh. She had short red hair that was wrapped in a bun, long pointed ears, multiple scars across the parts of her body that were visible, and scarlet eyes. She appeared to be about 6 feet (1.83 meters) in height. The Sacrier removed the arrow from her arm.

"You call that pain?!" she asked. "I am really disappointed if it is."

"Who are you?" asked Percedal.

"Me?" asked the Sacrier. "My name is Malicia, and I am the demigoddess to Sacrier!"

"I had heard about you," said Horizon. "You went missing about five years ago. Your mother killed herself because she believed that you would never be found."

"M-mother's dead?" asked Malicia

"I am sorry for your loss," said Horizon.

"What loss?" asked Malicia. "I never liked the bitch anyway!"

"What was that?" asked Horizon.

"You heard me."

"Alright that's enough! Where's my Mom?!" yelled Elely. She charged at Malicia and hit her in the stomach with her head. Malicia laughed and then grabbed Elely by her hair and threw her the ground. Percedal charged and aimed a punch at Malicia's face. She laughed at the pain and kicked Percedal in the gut. The kick didn't really bother Percedal and he threw another punch with his Rubilax arm. Malicia blocked the punch and punched Percedal in the nose. Blood spilled from Percedal's nose and he crashed into the wall. Yugo summoned his sword and shield and charged at Malicia and threw his sword at her before creating a portal and going through to end up behind Malicia. The sword hit Malicia's arm and Yugo then proceeded to grab Malicia by the waist and execute a perfect German Suplex. Malicia was enjoying this, feeling pain. It was a different pain that mere torture devices could never give. She laughed and recovered from the Suplex before kicking Yugo. Malicia then charged at Amalia and punched her in the gut. Amalia summoned some vines to bind Malicia to the ground. Malicia ended up eventually breaking free and kicking Amalia in the gut. Horizon charged and punched Malicia in the face before hitting the back of her head with his shield. He then took his axe and sent it through her shoulder. Malicia laughed maniacally at the pain and kicked Horizon, who was rolling on the ground for a short time. He jumped back up on his own two feet and drew his bow before firing. The arrow hit her back and Horizon charged at Malicia and tackled her to the ground. Malicia elbowed Horizon on the cheek and then grabbed him by the neck and began choking him.

"You all have put up quite a fight!" she yelled. "I have never enjoyed pain so much in my life. Unfortunately for me, I have to kill you all now. But don't worry, I'll make sure to make it painless. I'll start with the children."

Horizon began feeling something inside. Anger. He was enraged that Malicia would kill children. Horizon's eyes became fire once again and he yelled out in rage. He pried himself out of Malicia's gut and sent a punch to her face. She fell back, then Horizon grabbed her legs and spun her around twice before throwing her into a wall. Horizon then let out a yell of rage and rammed into her stomach before punching her in the face a total of fifteen times before putting her in a choke hold. Malicia was laughing the entire time and actually had moments where she actually grimaced from the pain. As she tried to escape the choke hold, she spoke to Horizon.

"You are quite right angry one aren't you?" she asked. Horizon tightened his grip and Malicia continued laughing. "I can tell that you have something special hidden inside you. I saw it in your eyes."

"The Cra. Where is she?" asked Horizon.

"The pregnant one?" asked Malicia. "Probably dead. If she hasn't given birth, then she's still alive. However, afterwards, the Brotherhood's use for her will pass, and then she'll have to die."

Horizon responded to this by snapping Malicia's neck in one swift movement, giving her an instantaneous death. Horizon was panting as Malicia's body fell to the ground. Horizon fell into a kneeling position as the fire in his eyes disappeared and he felt a massive headache. His ears were ringing and all the other voices sounded like distant echoes. Percedal walked up to Malicia and went to check her pulse. There was none. Percedal shook his head.

"She's gone," he said.

"Are you sure Dally?" asked Yugo.

"I'm certain of it," said Dally.

"Is it okay to come out now?" asked Ruel, who was hiding behind some of the torture devices.

"It's okay Ruel," said Yugo. Ruel let out a sigh of relief. Horizon slowly stood back upright before shaking his head and looking at the Brotherhood of the Tofu.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Horizon. They all nodded. "Good. The staircase is just over here. Our next challenge awaits."

Horizon walked up the staircase, his sword at the ready, with the Brotherhood of the Tofu following close behind.


	5. The Second Floor

The staircase was long and spiral, and resided in the center of every floor. It was made of pure crystal, and was glistening with the chandeliers on nearly every floor. It looked beautiful. At the top of the Tower, above the thirteenth floor, Oropo and Adamai were speaking to one another.

"We need to talk Oropo," said Adamai.

"I am aware. Speak your mind Adamai. What is bothering you?"

"I don't know why you're letting them live," said Adamai. "They are vulnerable. We can finish them off now while we still have a chance."

"Adamai, you and I both know that the Brotherhood of the Tofu is not vulnerable. I tried defeating their minds, but that Cra interfered. The one that managed to land a bit on you," said Oropo. Adamai placed a hand on his jaw.

"I don't mean to come out as rude, but why are you bothered by the kid?" asked Adamai. "I can easily defeat him if he's bothering you that much."

"There's something about him," said Oropo. "His overall appearance and fiery personality is, in a way, familiar."

"Familiar? In what way?" asked Adamai. Oropo turned around.

"A question for another day," he said. "Let us go check on the dear Evangelyne."

Oropo returned to enter the Tower, with Adamai following close by.

...

Evangelyne was sitting down in a sort of meditative state. It was difficult being in this prison by herself. After Flopin's bold escape, Toxxine was keeping an eye on her a lot more frequently. Despite Dame Echo assuring her that nothing will happen to her, she was still afraid that the baby could be put in danger. The baby was kicking more frequently now. It was only a matter of time before she had to give birth. Until then, she would always be afraid.

While she was in this meditative state, she was wandering her mindscape and calling out.

"Hello?"

Horizon heard this and widened his eyes. Yugo took notice and walked up to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Is anyone here?" asked Evangelyne.

Horizon remained frozen in place for another minute before turning to the Brotherhood of the Tofu.

"There's something that I need to do," said Horizon. "You guys go ahead without me. I'll be right behind you."

"Someone? Anyone?" asked Evangelyne.

The Brotherhood of the Tofu nodded and they moved on without Horizon. Horizon sat down and began meditating. When his eyes opened, he found his mindscape to be intertwined with Evangelyne's. Speaking of Evangelyne, she was looking around, her back turned to Horizon.

"Please, someone?" asked Evangelyne. "Please?"

"Evangelyne!" yelled Horizon. Evangelyne turned around and her eyes widened.

"Horizon!" she yelled. The two of them ran to each other and attempted to hug each other, but they ended up phasing through one another. That was fine. They turned to look at each other.

"I've missed you my friend," said Horizon.

"Where you've been all this time? You haven't written any letters for two years," said Evangelyne.

"Mental training," said Horizon.

"Oh," said Evangelyne. That made much more sense now. "How's Melodious?" Horizon looked a little saddened.

"Mom's dead," said Horizon. Evangelyne gasped and put her left hand over her mouth.

"I-I-I'm sorry," said Evangelyne.

"It is fine," said Horizon.

"So, where are you now?" asked Evangelyne.

"Second floor of the Tower of Dreams. We're coming to rescue you," said Horizon.

"Really? Wait, 'we'?" asked Evangelyne.

"Yes," said Horizon. "Me, the Brotherhood of the Tofu, and your children."

"The kids! Are they alright?!" Evangelyne desperately asked.

"Yes, they're fine," said Horizon. "I haven't let anything happen to them, and I'll never will."

"Thank you," said Evangelyne. She then noticed Horizon's left ear twitch.

"Do you hear that?" asked Horizon. "It doesn't sound like it's coming from my side."

Evangelyne widened her eyes. She couldn't hear it, but she knew who it was.

"I have to go!" she yelled. "Take care of the children!"

"I will find you Evangelyne!" yelled Horizon. "I promise!"

Horizon opened his eyes and stood upright. He had to hurry. He ran up the stairs to the second floor, to find Ruel being attacked by a female Ouginak. Horizon felt something grab him and it was revealed to be a male Ouginak. Horizon immediately tried breaking free.

"I've got a live one dear sister," said the male Ouginak.

"Well done," said the female Ouginak. "We now have plenty of meat."

Horizon looked up to see the rest of the Brotherhood and the children tied to the wall and unconscious.

"How the heck did that happen?" asked Horizon.

"Simple," said the female Ouginak. "We got the jump on them. We went for the Eliatrope and the Iop first. The rest soon followed. Now, we'll have meat to survive this place."

"You two are seriously disgusting," said Horizon. "You'd probably eat each other if you had the chance."

"We've considered it," said the male Ouginak.

Horizon rolled his eyes. He didn't have time for this. He kicked the male Ouginak in the stomach then threw him at the female. The male quickly grabbed Horizon again and slammed him into the ground.

"What can you do against us?" he asked. He then noticed one of Horizon's bracelets glowing. He then heard a noise. He looked to find Horizon's axe making its way up the stairs to return to its master. Horizon caught the axe then sent it through the male's head unintentionally. The male Ouginak was dead. Horizon pried the axe from his corpse while the female began screaming in grief.

"Brother!" she yelled. She then growled and charged at Horizon. She punched his gut and then pinned him against the wall. The rage was very evident in her eyes.

"I'll kill you!" she yelled. "I'll kill you, the children, the men, the princess, then I'll use your skin for a dress! You stand no chance against my rage!"

Horizon struggled, but he couldn't break free. Suddenly, he felt rage again, this time, stronger than before. His eyes returned to fire and Horizon let out a scream of rage. He then began slowly pushing against the female Ouginak's grip.

"What?!" she yelled in confusion and fear. Horizon continued the struggle while yelling in rage. The female Ouginak was beginning to look scared. "Stop it! I'm supposed to be dominant! Me! Me! ME!"

The female Ouginak tried punching Horizon. Horizon grabbed the fist, tore off her arm, smacked her face with it as she screamed in sheer pain and agony, discarded it, then punched her in the gut, sending her crashing into the wall before yelling out in rage. The female Ouginak got up and fled down to the first floor. Horizon slowly followed her. The female Ouginak was attempting to escape in an effort to ensure her survival. He tried opening the door, but it was shut tight. She turned around to find Horizon slowly advancing towards her. She tried to get away, severely weak from the loss of blood by her severed arm. Horizon grabbed her by the neck, then shoved his hand through her chest, then ripping out her heart. She was dead before she hit the ground. To add insult to injury, Horizon crushed the heart. Horizon suddenly felt a large headache. He got on one knee and proceeded to vomit. He wiped his mouth, stood back up, then made his way back to the second floor. Once he was there, he took his sword and attempted to free the children and the Brotherhood of the Tofu from their binds. Once he succeeded he kicked them all awake, then walked through the staircase without saying a word. He suddenly passed out on the staircase. He was tired. He needed a short rest. Percedal grabbed him and lifted him up with his left hand. The Brotherhood of the Tofu made their way up the staircase, unaware of they were being watched by Toxxine the entire time.


	6. The Third Floor

Horizon awoke after about 2 minutes of rest. He groaned in pain and Percedal set him on the floor. Horizon stood up while the Brotherhood of the Tofu sat down on the stairs to rest. Suddenly, Percedal's stomach began growling.

"Really Dally? Now?" asked Amalia.

"I can't help it!" He replied. "I haven't eaten anything since that Pandawa attacked my home. And even then I didn't get to finish my soup."

"Well, we can't stop now!" said Elely. "We have to get to Mom!"

Then Elely's stomach began to growl. The rest of the Brotherhood of the Tofu soon joined in the hunger. Horizon chuckled and went through his bag. He had enough rations for all of them.

"If you're hungry, you should probably get a fire started," suggested Horizon.

"Start a fire? With what?" asked Amalia.

"You won't like my answer," said Horizon. Amalia widened her eyes, and turned around, attempting to flee. Horizon already foresaw this and grabbed her by her hair. Amalia was struggling to break free, but her struggles proved futile. She sighed in defeat and summoned some small vines. Horizon used his axe to generate sparks, which then set the vines ablaze. As soon as the vines were set ablaze, Horizon immediately began to work. He mashed the rations together, then heated them in the fire. After about half an hour, he gave each and every one of the Brotherhood of the Tofu a bowl of his delicious concoction. After the first bite, they all let out a sigh of bliss.

"Mmm, this is so good!" said Flopin.

"By Enutrof, this is amazing!" yelled Ruel.

"You guys enjoy. I'm going to take a look at the third floor," said Horizon. The Brotherhood of the Tofu acknowledged his statement, then went back to eating. Horizon chuckled a little, then he went up the staircase. Immediately he noticed that this floor would be different from the others. It was a large room, covered in vegetation. Horizon entered the room and began walking around, observing the lush bushes and trees. He noticed some more fruits on a nearby tree. He was running low on rations, so it'd be nice to get some more food. He held his hand out, just about to pick a fruit. Suddenly, a vine grabbed his wrist and threw him away. Horizon crashed onto a tree, which broke and fell upon contact. Horizon groaned and stood back up to find a tall male Sadida next to a female Sadida of the same height. Horizon didn't really know what to do, so he decided to talk with them.

"Hmm, I thought you'd be bigger," he said. "But you're pretty close. Long way from the Sadida kingdom, aren't you?"

"Who are you and why are you here?" asked the male Sadida.

"Well, since you asked politely, I'm trying to get to the staircase across the room, head up to the top floor, and rescue my friend," answered Horizon.

"The Cra?" asked the female Sadida. The male Sadida walked closer to Horizon.

"I will not let you proceed to the next floor," he said. "I don't care what Oropo says. Leave now, and I'll let you live."

"Romvine, what are you doing?" asked the female Sadida.

"Shut up Salia," said the male Sadida, revealed to be named Romvine. Horizon couldn't help but chuckle.

"Wow," said Horizon. "I knew that you Sadidas were pompous and rude, but wow, you sir, are the epitome of arrogance."

Romvine turned to Horizon, now moving even closer, the difference in their height shown. Romvine was about six inches taller than Horizon. Horizon didn't really care. Height never really bothered him, as long as his fist could hit Romvine's face.

"You really don't want to fight me kid," said Romvine.

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure I do," said Horizon. He then punched Romvine in the face. The punch didn't faze Romvine at all. Horizon widened his eyes and stepped back a little. Romvine smirked.

"My turn," he said. He punched Horizon in the gut, causing Horizon to cough out blood and crash through multiple trees, all which fell on him. Horizon groaned and moved the broken trees off of him, then stood back up.

"Is that all you got?" asked Horizon.

He should have just kept his mouth shut. Romvine charged at Horizon, then rammed him through multiple trees and into the wall. He then punched Horizon in the face three times before throwing him to the other side of the room, onto Salia. Salia pushed Horizon off of her and hit him in the stomach with a giant vine. Horizon was rolling along the ground. He groaned in pain and stood back up, his left hand clutching his right hip and blood leaking out the corner of his mouth.

"Still standing?" asked Romvine. "I admire your persistence. Alright, I'll be sure to give you a quick death."

Horizon clenched his fists and he felt his rage heighten. The fire in his eyes returned, and small flames occasionally flickered on his body. He was angry. Angrier than he had ever been since they first entered this stupid tower. He looked over at Romvine.

"You are going to fall, then you'll let us pass," he said. Such a simple statement, yet Romvine could hear the venom dripping from every syllable. Romvine smirked.

"No I won't," he said. "The only one who's going to fall is YOU!"

Both Horizon and Romvine charged at each other, then they each went and attempted to punch each other in the face.

The Brotherhood of the Tofu were almost done with their food. Flopin's ears perked up.

"Did you guys hear something?" asked Flopin.

"I didn't hear anything," said Elely.

"Just finish your food buddy," said Percedal. Flopin had his doubts, but shrugged them off and went back to eating.

Both of the punches landed and both Romvine and Horizon were sent back, dragging on the floor. Eventually they stopped and charged again. Horizon had his crossbow ready, and as soon as they made contact, Horizon opened fire. Romvine pushed his hand away and the arrow his a bird perched on a tree. It died instantly and fell to the ground. Horizon opened fire again, and once again Romvine pushed it aside. Horizon fired again, and Romvine pushed it aside, then pushed Horizon. Horizon charged forward and opened fire again. Romvine again pushed it aside, but Horizon followed with a kick aimed towards Romvine's face. Romvine attempted to dodge the kick, but it still grazed his flesh and a few leaves fell from his face. Horizon opened fire from his crossbow again, and this time Romvine tried to counter by punching the crossbow. The arrow made contact with his fist, and a shockwave formed, which sent them both backwards. Romvine looked around for a bit, then found his sword in a tree. He grabbed it and pulled it out. Horizon took out his bow and fired an arrow at Romvine. The arrow was laced with small flames. Romvine used his sword to deflect it. It landed on a bush, and a small fire began. Horizon fired another arrow, which Romvine deflected. It landed near Salia, who screamed and ran as far away from the arrow as possible. Romvine jumped up, ready to swipe at Horizon with his sword. Horizon put his bow back in place and drew his sword just in time. Both of the blades made contact and were in a blade lock. They both were struggling to push back the other's weapon.

"I will defeat you here," said Romvine. "I've read scriptures on how my ancestor, the mighty Sadida, would bring forth severe punishment to any mortal who dared to challenge the might of a god!"

"Then, by Cra's merciful hands, your end will be swift," answered Horizon. Horizon won the lock and swiped at Romvine. Romvine managed to block with his sword and he went for a downward slash, but Horizon blocked and countered with a kick to the gut. The swordfight continued as the flames were beginning to grow and consume the vegetation.

The Brotherhood of the Tofu managed to finish their food and went up the stairs to the third floor. They all spotted Salia, whimpering as the fires raged. Amalia walked up to her.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Salia turned and yelped in fright.

"Princess Amalia!" She bowed and hugged her out of fear. "The fires are raging and my brother won't stop! Help me, please!"

"Help you? Your brother?" asked a confused Percedal.

"Yes," said Salia. "He's been fighting a Cra who wanted access to the fourth floor, but Romvine wouldn't let him pass. They've been fighting and the forest got caught in the crossfire. LITERALLY!"

"Come on then. We have to stop them," said Amalia. They hurried into the room.

Horizon slashed at Romvine, but he blocked with his sword and pushed Horizon away. Horizon charged and slashed again, and again Romvine blocked and pushed. After doing that one more time, Horizon became even more enraged. He charged at Romvine, then activated his shield before using it to hit Romvine in the face, repeatedly. After about 10 shield hits, Horizon was preparing to punch him one more time, when he heard Amalia's voice.

"STOP!" she yelled.

Horizon turned to her, and Romvine took this opportunity to uppercut Horizon. The uppercut sent Horizon into the air before landing on the ground. The flames grew weaker around the forest with Horizon's defeat. Horizon groaned and tried to stand back up, but Romvine stomped on his chest. Horizon groaned and found he could not get up. Romvine raised his sword up high.

"As the new Sadida, I end your life," he said. He sent the sword downwards, but just in time, Horizon managed to block with his shield. The flames raged once again, engulfing the entire room, except for the area where Horizon and Romvine were.

"My time has not yet come," he said. "Yours on the other hand," Horizon pointed his crossbow at Romvine's face. "has long since passed!"

Horizon fired the crossbow and the force of the arrow sent Romvine into the raging flames. Romvine let out an agonizing scream of pain as he was being burned alive. Finally, once the flames finished off Romvine, they finally died down until there were only small flames left. The entire forest was gone, taken away by the fires of the damned. Horizon let out a sympathetic sigh, then looked over at the Brotherhood of the Tofu. He could see the fear, shock, and anger in their eyes. Elely and Flopin looked positively horrified. This was really their first encounter with death, and they were terrified by how brutal it could be. Horizon noticed the children and sighed. He then heard something. He turned around and noticed Salia holding Romvine's sword. Horizon looked over at her.

"Put the sword down," he said.

"Why should I?!" she yelled. "You killed my brother!"

"He made his choice," said Horizon. "If he had just let me pass, I would have spared him, but he chose to interfere. Every action has consequences, Salia. Your brother could not understand this."

"It does not matter!" yelled Salia. "He's gone! Now, I have nothing left. No family, no forest..!"

"Salia, do not do something that you know you're going to regret."

"Nothing to stop me from doing this!" she yelled. Salia took the sword and got in a stance, looking like she was about to stab Horizon. But instead, she turned the blade on herself, and sent it through her heart. She fell to the ground as the blood and sap leaked from her body. She was dead, atop of the ashes of her beloved brother. Horizon looked down. He was upset. She could have walked freely, but she chose to end her own life. It was always a sad and tragic event. But Horizon couldn't be upset now. He had to get to Evangelyne.

"Follow me guys," he said. The Brotherhood of the Tofu followed Horizon, the children hiding behind their father, as Dame Echo was observing Horizon from the bottom of the stairs, a serious and angered glare on her face.


	7. The Fourth Floor

Horizon was slowly trailing up the staircase with the Brotherhood of the Tofu following pretty far behind. They were angry and disappointed in Horizon. They primarily had either taken no heed of Horizon's murder spree, or they were unaware of it. Now, with the death of the two Sadida siblings, they had thought that Horizon was taking it too far. Flopin and Elely looked terrified at Horizon. They both believed Horizon to be a good person, a person who wouldn't commit such horrible things. Now that they realized that they were wrong, they had questions. A lot of questions. Percedal spoke in an effort to ease the tension.

"We're almost to Evangelyne guys!" he said. "Just nine more floors to go!"

Horizon simply grunted in response while everyone else simply nodded. Percedal chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. Rubilax groaned.

"Nice going, you just made it even more awkward," he said. The Brotherhood of the Tofu continued up the staircase until Flopin suddenly stopped. He looked up at Horizon and spoke.

"Why?" he asked in a shaken voice. Horizon stopped where he was. He turned around and looked down at Flopin.

"Why did you kill them?" asked Flopin. "You brutally murdered them, and you haven't given us a reason as to why."

"It's weird and scary!" yelled Elely. "You hurt those people, then you tore them apart! For no reason at all!"

Both of the children had tears in their eyes as they kept repeating the word "why". Horizon remembered that they are only children. Children who have not yet witnessed, nor experienced death. Horizon closed his eyes and sighed. He beckoned the children closer to him. They moved closer to him until they were right in front of him. Percedal clenched his fists. He had thought that Horizon was going to hurt them, then laugh about it. To his surprise, Horizon did not. Instead, Horizon took turns wiping the tears off the faces of both the children. It was at this moment that he spoke to them.

"Warriors fight for one of three reasons," said Horizon. "They will either fight to ensure their own survival, or they will fight to seek the joy and thrill from spilling the blood of their enemies. But the third, and most sacred reason someone will fight, is to protect and defend the ones they care for the most. The only reason I attacked and killed the demigods on the lower floors was so I could protect you two specifically. You children hold within you the light and the hope of the future. If you were to die here and now, the light would get weaker and the hope would disappear, marking the end of the World of Twelve as we know it. Oropo spoke of peace, but the demigods we've seen have not been peacekeepers, but psychopaths. They are monsters who would not hesitate to kill you. You must understand this now. Do you understand?"

Both of the children nodded. Horizon nodded as well, then turned to look at Elely.

"You wish to be a warrior like your father, correct?" asked Horizon.

"Well, yeah but..." Elely could not finish. Horizon placed his hands on both of her shoulders.

"You must close your heart to your enemies," said Horizon. "A warrior must be strong and willing to do whatever it takes to protect those that he or she loves most. The World of Twelve is dangerous at this point in time. No place for a little girl. You must be a warrior."

Elely nodded with a firm expression on her face. Horizon nodded, then turned to Flopin.

"What I had done down there, and the people that I had killed, you must be better," said Horizon. "You must be better than me. What I did, is not something you will ever do. You have what it takes to become a great philosopher, boy. But before you can become one, you're going to have to be a warrior for the duration of this journey. Can you do this for me?"

Flopin nodded with the same firm expression his sister has. Horizon nodded in acknowledgement.

"Then take this," said Horizon. He then removed his crossbow from his wrist, then took Flopin's right hand and placed the crossbow bracelet on his hand. The bracelet changed so that it would fit Flopin's wrist. Flopin widened his eyes and looked at the bracelet. He suddenly hugged Horizon. This shocked Horizon a little, but he hugged the little Cra back. Suddenly, Horizon's right ear twitched. He had heard something.

"Do you hear that?" asked Horizon. He let go of Flopin and stood back up. Flopin looked around a little confused.

"I don't hear anything. Wait. I'm starting to hear it. It is a kind of, whooshing noise?" said Flopin.

"Yes," said Horizon. "Kind of like the...flapping of wings."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Dame Echo snatched Horizon up with her talons before slamming him into a wall, then punching his gut and throwing him upwards to the fourth floor. Horizon groaned in pain and attempted to stand back up. Before he could even begin to try, Dame Echo grabbed his arm and threw him into the wall once again before grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground.

"You killed them!" yelled Dame Echo. "You murdered them with no sign of mercy! Your just the kind of person Oropo and I both despise!"

Dame Echo then threw Horizon again. This time, Horizon quickly recovered and took out his bow before firing a flash arrow at Echo. Echo caught it, then it exploded, temporarily blinding her. During that moment of temporary blindness, Horizon jumped up and kicked her in the face. The kick didn't really effect Echo much. Echo grabbed the leg and elbowed the knee. Horizon yelled out in pain. Echo then swung Horizon around before throwing him into a set of masks. One of the masks had sharp horns on it and one of them pierced through Horizon's abdomen. He yelled in pain and spat out blood. Echo threw him onto the ground and began choking him.

"Now you will know yourself how it feels to be murdered!" she yelled as she was choking him.

Horizon was being choked and was losing air. He struggled to break free, but found that he could not. He looked over to Flopin. Flopin nodded and aimed the crossbow at Dame Echo's arm. The very arm that was choking Horizon. Flopin fired the crossbow and it successfully hit its target. Echo grunted in pain and let go of Horizon and clutched her arm. There was a little bit of blood coming out of it. Horizon was on the ground, coughing and gasping for breath. Echo turned to see who attacked her and widened her eyes at who it was.

"Flopin?" she asked. "I've finally found you! I've been looking everywhere for you, and your mother has been worried sick!"

"We're just trying to get to her!" yelled Flopin. "The demigods kept attacking us, and they tried to kill us! That is why Horizon killed them."

Echo turned to look at Horizon. Horizon was just now standing on his two feet and catching his breath. Echo then spoke to him.

"Is this true?" asked Echo.

"The boy is right," said Horizon once he caught his breath. "The demigods that attacked us were the ones who attacked first. I only killed them to ensure the safety of the children."

Echo looked at Horizon, then turned to look at Flopin and Elely, then turned to look at the Brotherhood of the Tofu. Before she could say anything, laughter could be heard echoing across the room. Horizon turned and found a male in a red mask charging towards him. Horizon quickly countered the charge by sidestepping the charge and pushing the male onto the ground. The male jumped back up and landed next to Echo.

"A Masqueraider," said Horizon. "This will be challenging."

"Hello, lovely Dame Echo," said the Masqueraider. Echo widened her eyes and began to blush. Horizon, for some reason, felt angered at this statement. He charged forward and attempted to tackle the Masqueraider. Suddenly, Echo kicked Horizon, her talons leaving scratch marks on his face. She then held him to the ground, her talons digging into his chest and drawing blood. Horizon yelled out in pain. The Masqueraider turned and charged at the Brotherhood of the Tofu. Horizon called to Flopin.

"Boy!" he yelled. "Use the crossbow! Fire at the masked one!"

Flopin nodded and fired his crossbow. It successfully hit the Masqueraider right in the chest. The Masqueraider spat out blood and removed the arrow. He still had plenty of life within him. Flopin fired again, but the Masqueraider dodged and grabbed Flopin by the neck and began choking him. Horizon widened his eyes and struggled to break free.

"Fight him off boy!" yelled Horizon. Echo turned and widened her eyes.

"Weltorok, stop!" she yelled. The Masqueraider known as Weltorok ignored her and continued choking Flopin. Horizon noticed Flopin going Percedal charged forward and punched Weltorok in the face with his amplified Rubilax fist. Weltorok was hit and he rolled on ground. Flopin gasped for breath and began coughing violently. Horizon was relieved. Suddenly, Weltorok grabbed both Flopin and Elely by the neck and stepped back.

"Get any closer and I kill them both!" he yelled. Echo widened her eyes at what she just heard. Horizon was enraged. The fire in his eyes returned and he yelled in rage. He pried Echo's talons off his chest and punched her gut before throwing her aside. He then charged at Weltorok. As Weltorok was about to snap the children's necks, Horizon tackled him. He then tore off both of Weltorok's arms. He then grabbed Weltorok's head and pulled on it. He kept pulling on his head until the skin began tearing. He then pulled even harder until he literally tore Weltorok's head off. He then crushed the head, and the body fell to the ground. Horizon wiped the blood off his face as the fire in his eyes faded. He then hurried to the children. They were unconscious, but they were still breathing. Horizon let out a sigh of relief. He then turned to Echo and walked towards her. She looked up at Horizon.

"Well, you were right," she said. "Just get it over with."

Horizon looked at Echo and began to realize two things about her. The first thing? She actually did look quite lovely. Horizon began blushing as he thought of that. The second thing was that he noticed a light within her. It wasn't too late for redemption. He held his hand out. Echo widened her eyes and hesitantly took it. That brief moment where they held hands as Horizon pulled her up made his heart race and he was blushing a bright red now. Echo noticed this, and looked confused.

"You're pretty red. Are you alright?" she asked.

"I-I'm fine," said Horizon. "J-Just help us get to Evangelyne. Please?"

Echo smiled and nodded. She flew up the staircase and Horizon and the Brotherhood of the Tofu followed close by. Toxxine was watching. Her floor was next, and she smirked as she snuck back up to her floor. She cackled as she went to the center of the room, where there was a preserved dead body of a female Cra. Toxxine laughed and looked at the body.

"Looks like your son is coming here soon," she said. "Now I can complete the family set."

Toxxine laughed as she turned invisible and turned away from the dead body of Melody, Horizon's mother.


	8. The Fifth Floor

Oropo was standing on the roof of the Tower, above Evangelyne's room. He was angry. He had received word from Toxxine that the demigods on the lower floors were dead. The news that surprised him wasn't that they were dead, but that it was the Cra boy Horizon that killed them. Questions began to flood his mind after he heard this information. Who was that boy? How did he best the demigods? What makes him so special? What gives him his strength? No matter how hard he tried, Oropo could not find an answer. He then summoned Adamai, who crossed his arms looking over at Oropo.

"You summoned me?" he asked.

"Adamai, my friend. You already know why I summoned you, correct?" asked Oropo.

"You want me to deal with the boy," said Adamai.

"Yes," said Oropo. "But before you kill him, you must do something else for me, to Evangelyne."

"What might that be?" asked Adamai.

"The longer we stand idly by and wait for the child to be born, the closer the Brotherhood of the Tofu and that Cra boy gets to me and stopping me from seeing my ideals realized. You must frighten Evangelyne. Force her into labor. But you are not to touch her. Once the child is born, you may do whatever you wish to her."

Adamai smirked. This was his opportunity. His opportunity to finish off one of his former friends whom he now considers his enemy.

"I will do whatever is necessary to hasten the infant's arrival," said Adamai. He teleported to Evangelyne's room. Evangelyne looked up and saw Adamai. She was slowly stepping back, one hand stretched out and the other on her stomach.

"Hello Evangelyne," said Adamai with a smirk. "Why don't we have a little chat?"

Meanwhile, Horizon and the Brotherhood of the Tofu, accompanied by Echo, were in the fifth floor and were looking around. The scale of this floor was bigger than the others. The room was lit by a few candles and it had a dark brown color to it. There were numerous severed heads and other body parts displayed as trophies all along the walls. Flopin nearly gagged at the sight. But he held it in and maintained his composure. Echo groaned at the sight of the trophies.

"Sickens me every time I look at it," she said.

"Who's room is this?" asked Horizon.

"One of my least favorite tenants in the Tower. She is reckless and disgusts me to no end. Her name is-"

"Hey guys, I found something!" yelled Amalia.

Everyone else went to Amalia's location, where she was standing in front of a red cloth that was covering up a rectangular object that seemed pretty long. Amalia gulped nervously.

"Hey guys," said Amalia.

"What did you find?" asked Yugo.

"Well, you might not like what you see guys," said Amalia. "I am warning you now. The sight isn't as disgusting as everything else, but it's still disgusting."

"Just show us, Amalia. It's alright," said Percedal.

Amalia nodded and removed the cloth to reveal the concealed object. It was a glass coffin. Inside the glass coffin was the preserved dead body of a female Cra. Horizon and Echo both widened their eyes in shock. Horizon stepped back a bit, disoriented from his mind being unable to accept nor process who it was. Echo walked up to the coffin.

"I-it's Melodious," said Echo. "My friend..."

"You know her?" asked Percedal.

"Yes. Yes I do. But, why would she be here?" asked Echo.

Horizon walked up to the glass coffin. He then got on his knees. He put his hand on it and pressed his forehead against it. He had a saddened look on his face, but he did not let the tears fall. He took a few deep breaths in order to calm himself down. Echo wondered why he was acting this way. Then the only possible answer entered her mind.

"You're her son," she said. Horizon looked at Echo and nodded once before returning to his mourning. Echo was surprised that she got it right. The last time she saw Melody alive was when she was pregnant with the boy. Suddenly, a voice echoed throughout the room.

"Aww, how precious," said the voice. "The son has returned to join his mother. It's almost poetic."

Echo growled and clenched her fists. Horizon clenched his own fists, cracking the glass coffin.

"Toxxine," they both said in unison with the venom oozing from their voice. Horizon stood up and looked around.

"Aww, I'm remembered. I'm so touched," said Toxxine. "And I see you brought some old friends. Echo, good to see you again. And don't bother trying to attack me even though you can see me. If you do, I kill one of the members of the Brotherhood of the Tofu. Don't think I won't do it."

"ENOUGH!" yelled Horizon. He took his bow and fired behind Elely, hitting the camouflaged Toxxine in the leg. She got out of camouflage and yelled in pain. As she attempted to remove the arrow, Horizon was charging forward at Toxxine. She managed to remove the arrow, but she couldn't dodge Horizon, who tackled Toxxine and then slammed her head into the ground. Toxxine retaliated with a kick to Horizon's gut. Horizon jumped back and charged again. He took his axe and threw it at Toxxine. It hit her shoulder and she yelled in pain. Horizon recalled the axe, then grabbed Toxxine's leg and swung her around before throwing her into one of her trophies. Horizon began kicking her face three times before throwing her away. Toxxine quickly recovered and sent a kick to Horizon's gut, followed by a punch to the face, before finishing the combo with a German Suplex. Horizon was then kicked away and he bumped into Melody's coffin. Horizon groaned and stood back up, leaning on the coffin. Toxxine laughed and looked over at Horizon.

"Not bad little boy," she said. "But you can only keep it up for so long. Soon you'll have to accept the inevitable and join your mother in the afterlife."

Horizon growled and responded to this statement by grabbing the glass coffin, lifting it up, making sure that Melody's body was not in it, and swinging it at Toxxine. It broke on contact and sent Toxxine flying before she crashed into the trophies above the door. Horizon charged forward at Toxxine, and as soon as she fell, he grabbed her and began ramming her into the wall as they went down the stairs to the Sadida' room before ramming her into the wall and pinning her there. Toxxine used her blade to scratch his cheek which made him let go and fall back. Toxxine stood up and smirked.

"You are young, but you are reckless. Your efforts to beat me are futile," she said as she looked at her claws before back at Horizon. "So, care to try again?"

"You talk too much!" said Horizon. He sent a few punches to Toxxine's face, who retaliated with multiple quick jabs to the chest. Horizon tried to hit her once, but Toxxine dodged and rammed him into the wall. He was stuck and he was struggling to break free.

"That was fun," said Toxxine. "However, it unfortunately ends here. Before I kill you, I am going to make you watch as I kill the kids. Then, I will go and kill Evangelyne. Her time is short anyway. At least you can reunite with your mommy again."

If Horizon wasn't angry before, he was most definitely angry now. He roared in fury as he freed himself. He punched Toxxine in the face and sent her crashing into the wall. Horizon ran up to the disoriented Toxxine and ran upstairs while grabbing her and pressing her head against the wall. Once they returned to the fifth floor, Horizon threw Toxxine to the wall. Toxxine groaned, but recovered.

"That's enough! It's time to die you annoying little brat!" yelled Toxxine. She charged forward, prepared to kill Horizon. Horizon had to act quickly. He grabbed a handful of dust gathered from the collateral damage and threw it at her face. She yelled out and began flailing her arms around. Horizon then sent many, many, many, MANY brutal punches to Toxxine's face. Each punch drew more blood from both sides than the last. Finally, Toxxine managed to wipe the dust off her eyes, but she wasn't quick enough. Horizon was charging forward with a roar of fury and he punched her in the face with enough force to shatter her face mask. She was sent crashing into the wall and fell onto a wooden table. Horizon stood where he was, panting heavily, his knuckles bleeding from all the punches he dealt to Toxxine. He grabbed his sword and walked up to her. Toxxine looked up and widened her eyes. Horizon raised the sword above his head and made it seem like he was about to kill her. Horizon sent the sword down, but stabbed it into the table, and not Toxxine. Toxxine was surprised.

"Mother is here," said Horizon. "I will not take a life while she's still here. Send this message to Oropo; I'm coming for him, and he will die a slow, painful death. Understand?"

Toxxine nodded.

"Get out of here," said Horizon. Toxxine nodded and hurried to the top floor. Horizon sighed, then walked over to Melody's body. He closed his eyes and pressed his head against hers. He took a deep breath and stood back up. He looked at the table she was one. It was made of wood. Good. He turned to the Brotherhood of the Tofu and Echo.

"You guys can go ahead and go to the next floor," said Horizon.

"Are you sure?" asked Yugo.

"Yes," answered Horizon.

"What about you?" asked Flopin.

"I have to give my mother a proper send-off. Her spirit is trapped in her own body. It is time for me to free her."

Echo nodded in understanding and went to guide the Brotherhood of the Tofu to the sixth floor. Horizon took a deep breath and returned to look at his mother's body. He pressed his forehead against her's.

"Hey Mom," he said. "It's been too long since we've last talked. So much has happened since you passed. I-I made new friends. The Brotherhood of the Tofu. You know the cool part? They're friends with Evangelyne. Well, Percedal is her husband, and Elely and Flopin are her children. Mom, I wish you were here. I wish that you and I were together again. I don't know how long I can keep up this journey. We've only been through five floors, and there are still eight more. I don't know what we'll face. Mom...I'm scared. I don't know how to do this without you."

Horizon let go and stood up. He let out a small smile. He took some more deep breaths as he looked at his dead mother.

"But it's for the best," he said. He took her hand and held it with his. "Find your way home. You are free."

He then took his axe and sword and created sparks. After a few attempts, the table, and Melody's body was set ablaze. Horizon placed his weapons down on the ground and went in a kneeling position and began praying.

"Merciful Cra up above," said Horizon. "Please grant this wandering spirit safe passage to your embracing arms, and may she spend her eternity in paradise with a smile on her face. Praise Cra."

Horizon stood up to find that the ashes of his mother were now on the ground. He took all the ashes and put them in his bag after discarding the last of the rations. He took the bag and slowly began walking down the steps. While walking through every floor, he looked at the destruction that he caused. Looking back at what he did and how he could have avoided it, it broke his heart that these people who were full of life are dead because of the poor choices they made. Horizon felt heavy. The burden on his shoulders was heavy. Was it too heavy? No. This was something he had to do. He soon returned to the first floor of the Tower. He looked over at the mutilated corpse of the female Ouginak. He sighed and opened the door. The outside felt so different now. It felt heavy and was unbearably silent. He took a few more steps them stopped. He looked down at his hand. It was shaking. His other hand was doing the same. He clenched them into fists, and then he grabbed a handful of ashes and held them out in the air. It was at this moment that Cra guided the wind to carry the ashes up towards her. He watched in awe as the ashes were flying in their spiral formation from his hand and even out of the bag, to the eternal paradise of Cra. As he looked up at the ashes, he widened his eyes and dropped his jaw a little. Hovering in front of him, was the spirit of his mother. She had a sad expression on her face, but she also had pride and happiness in her face as well. Horizon gasped and attempted to say something, but the spirit placed a finger on his mouth, keeping him quiet. They held each other's hands and pressed their foreheads against each other. Then, the spirit began floating upwards, heading to paradise. Horizon held his hand out, as if reaching for her. He didn't want her to go. But he knew that she was free now and that she wanted to be up there. He muttered three words before getting on his knees and finally letting the tears fall from his face as he had finally accepted his mother's death and learned to let go of what happened. He stood up after a few minutes, wiped the tears away, then looked up to the heavens.

"Goodbye Mom. I love you."

He then turned around and entered the Tower once again, the doors closing behind him, and the spirit of his mother watching him from her place in the afterlife.


	9. The Birthing Process

The Brotherhood of the Tofu managed to get all the way up to the tenth floor with no problems whatsoever. Once Echo filled in the demigods on those floors, they allowed the Brotherhood of the Tofu safe passage. They were currently resting on the stairs in between the ninth and tenth floor. Flopin walked up to his father and sat on his lap. Elely did the same.

"Everything alright guys?" asked Percedal.

"No.." said Elely.

"We're scared," said Flopin. "What if we get up there, only to find Mother...gone?"

Percedal was a little surprised by Flopin's question. He had never really thought about that, though it would always be a possibility. He looked down at his children and smiled.

"Guys, that won't happen," said Percedal. "They won't do anything to Evangelyne. We won't let anything happen to her."

The children still couldn't help but cry a little. Percedal decided to try something else.

"What would Horizon say?" he asked.

"I-I don't know..." said Elely.

"H-he would s-say to b-be s-strong, for Mother, and wipe the tears away," said Flopin.

"Yes, he would," said Percedal. "You must do that now. Be strong for your family. We need you now more than ever."

The children nodded with firm expressions on their face.

"Excellent," said Percedal.

"Heh, not a bad pep talk for a Iop-brain," said Rubilax.

"Come on guys, let's move out!" yelled Percedal. "We're almost there!"

The Brotherhood of the Tofu went up to the tenth floor, feeling like nothing could stop them. It was then that three demigods, a Huppermage, a Feca, and a Osamodas, all three males, jumped down and landed in front them. The Feca looked over at young Flopin and spoke with a thick Australian accent.

"Well hello little one. What brings you around these parts?" he asked.

"Borlog, don't even think about it," said the Osamodas. "Oropo needs the kids."

"The kids look hideous," said the Feca. "What was their mother on when she had them?"

"Don't talk about my Mom!" yelled Elely. She charged forward at the three demigods. The Huppermage grabbed a Ice Rune and fired a spell to temporarily freeze her.

"Sorry," said the Huppermage. "But if you want to get to her, you're going to have to get past us."

The Brotherhood of the Tofu got ready for a fight and charged forward.

On the top floor with Adamai and Evangelyne, Adamai prepared to throw a punch at Evangelyne. Evangelyne scrambled back as fast as she could. Adamai threw the punch, but deliberately missed, hitting the floor right next to her stomach. Evangelyne's heart began racing. She stood up and tried running away. Adamai let her run for awhile, before teleporting in front of her and using his tail to grab her by the neck. She began gasping for breath while trying to break free.

"It always disgusted me," said Adamai.

"W-what?" gasped Evangelyne.

"The fact that you are allowed to live for this long. It is incredibly annoying, and pathetic."

Adamai released his grip on Evangelyne and she dropped to the floor, landing on her back. She felt the baby begin to move. She began shaking her head.

"No," she said. "No no no no no no no no no, not now!"

Evangelyne tried to suppress her yell of pain as she had her first contraction. Adamai smirked. He accomplished his objective. He walked closer to her.

"Don't worry," he said. "Doctor Adamai will take care of you."

He chuckled as Evangelyne widened her eyes in fear.

Just a minute earlier, Horizon was walking up the staircase to the second floor. He had a lot on his mind. He had just released his mother into the afterlife. He knew that he completed his desire, but was it worth it? He was now alone. Or was he? He had the Brotherhood of the Tofu, and soon he'd have Evangelyne again.

"I'll never be alone," said Horizon. "I have the children, the Brotherhood, and Evangelyne. He'd always have them. He smiled as he looked back at his newfound friendships. Suddenly, as Evangelyne was having her first contraction, Horizon clutched his stomach and let out a scream of pain as he fell to the ground. He was twitching on the floor, overwhelmed by the pain. It felt like his stomach was stabbed a million times, then set ablaze. It then stopped. He stood up and checked his stomach. It wasn't pierced and there was no blood. He was fine. But what was that? Why did it hurt so much? To find his answer, Horizon looked at his hand where the mark was. The mark was now red. This showed that Horizon would be feeling what Evangelyne was feeling. Horizon wondered if Evangelyne was being tortured. That didn't seem likely. They needed her alive. Horizon suddenly widened his eyes and clutched his stomach in realization.

"The baby," he muttered. He ran up the staircase as fast as he could so he could get up to Evangelyne.

Percedal was fighting off the Huppermage and the Osamodas. Flopin and Elely were attacking the Feca while Yugo and Amalia were unconscious after a long struggle. The Feca was chuckling at the kids.

"Is that the best you two can do? You're as weak as your mother," said the Feca.

"Shut up!" yelled Elely. She and Flopin continued attacking the Feca until he grabbed them both, and began crushing their heads. They yelled out in pain. Finally, the Feca let go of them and kicked them against the wall. He turned to watch the his allies fight against Percedal. Ruel tried helping Dally, but his efforts were futile. Percedal was trying to block both weapons with Rubilax. They were stuck in a weapons lock and were all struggling to break it. The Huppermage laughed.

"You're a persistent little shit, ain't ya?" he asked. "I appreciate the effort. We'll make your death painless."

The Huppermage and the Osamodas laughed. Suddenly, Horizon ran towards them and hit them both in the head, breaking the weapons lock. He then grabbed his sword, and his axe. He sent his sword through the Huppermage, and his axe through the Osamodas. Hit them right on the gut. He repeated the process but hitting their arms. They let out roars in an effort to intimidate Horizon. Horizon let out a roar of fury and sent his weapons through their heads, killing them.

"Borlog! Xerok! No!" yelled the Feca. Horizon grabbed his weapons, turned around and began advancing towards the Feca, who backed away in fear. "What are you? How did you do that?! You've fucked up now you son of a bitch!"

He yelled in fury and charged at them. Horizon allowed himself to be tackled by the Feca, who roared.

"I will end you! Any last words?" he asked.

Horizon recalled his axe, then said the following.

"I'm going to cut off your head now."

The Feca raised an eyebrow in confusion. Horizon suddenly kicked the Feca in the face, then took his axe and used it to decapitate him. Horizon tossed the corpse aside and stood up. He ran to the kids to see if they needed help. Flopin and Elely awoke in lots of pain.

"Ow," said Elely. "What happened?"

"You got your butts kicked pretty bad," answered Horizon. "But you'll be fine. Come on, we're almost there."

Horizon turned around but then fell to the floor, yelling in pain. The kids and Percedal ran to his aid, and Ruel followed just as Yugo and Adamai woke up. Horizon looked up at Percedal after it stopped.

"It's Evangelyne," said Horizon. "She's having the baby. We're running out of time. We have to go now!"

Horizon stood up and began running up the staircase. The Brotherhood of the Tofu hurried after him.

Adamai looked down at Evangelyne, who was clutching her stomach in pain. He chuckled as his tail swayed from side to side.

"You can only keep that child in for so long," said Adamai. "It's best if you stop trying."

Evangelyne shook her head in denial. She was not having this baby here. Not on her watch. Adamai rolled his eyes and raised his foot up, about to stomp on her stomach, but instead hitting the floor right next to it. That was enough to make Evangelyne's water break. Both Evangelyne and Horizon widened their eyes.

"Oh no," they both said in unison before yelling out in pain.

(Sorry it's shorter than the others. Just wanted to get this out ASAP)


	10. The Joy of Childbirth

Horizon was on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. They only had three floors to go, and they killed the last of the opposing demigods, but Evangelyne's water broke and now she's having the baby, and Horizon can feel every bit of the painful moment.

"We...have to...move," said Horizon. He tried to get up but he clutched his stomach and fell to the ground, screaming. "CRA DAMN IT THAT HURTS!"

"Dally, carry him please?" asked Yugo.

"Sure thing," said Dally. He grabbed Horizon and lifted him up. Horizon screamed again.

"WHY THE HELL DOES IT HURT SO MUCH?!" yelled Horizon.

Evangelyne was screaming in pain. She knew she had to push the baby or she wasn't going to make it, but she didn't want to. Not with Adamai in front of her.

"Go away!" she yelled. Adamai simply smirked.

"You have two options right now Evangelyne," said Adamai. "You either let me help you and have that baby of yours."

Evangelyne gasped as she felt a blade press against her throat.

"Or you die," said a camouflaged Toxxine.

Evangelyne yelled in pain and began pushing the baby out.

Meanwhile, Horizon was screaming again, digging his nails into Percedal's back

"IT LITERALLY FEELS LIKE MY ENTRAILS ARE BEING PUSHED OUT OF MY ASS! It fucking hurts!" he yelled. He was clearly in a lot of agony. Dally sighed.

"Not even Evangelyne complained this much," he said.

"Cut the guy some slack," said Rubilax. "If you had to go through all that, you'd be screaming as well."

Horizon was screaming once again.

"I SWEAR TO CRA IF EVANGELYNE DOESN'T STOP PUSHING I'M GOING TO TEAR SOMEBODY'S HAND OFF!" he yelled. Flopin looked a little nervous, as did Elely. Ruel went to them.

"Don't worry kids, he's fine," said Ruel. "He's just going through some things. It'll end."

"Alright.." said Flopin.

Moments passed. Evangelyne screamed as she pushed once again. Adamai had a smile on his face.

"You're almost done Eva," said Adamai. "One more push ought to do it. Now push!"

She let out a scream as she pushed one more time, successfully birthing the baby. The baby was a little Cra boy with jade green eyes. He was crying. Evangelyne picked him up and held him in her arms. Adamai smirked.

Horizon let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness it stopped," he said. He then widened his eyes. "It stopped...oh no."

He quickly jumped off of Percedal and began running upstairs.

Adamai let out a smirk as Evangelyne held her newborn baby. He looked over at Toxxine and nodded. Toxxine raised her blades upwards. Horizon hurried to the end of the staircase as soon as possible. He made it to the thirteenth floor. He began looking around and he spotted something terrible. It was Evangelyne, holding her baby, widening her eyes in horror as Toxxine prepared to kill her. Horizon quickly grabbed his bow, created a paralysis arrow and fired it at Toxxine. It hit Toxxine in the arm. He then charged at Adamai, the fury evident in his eyes. Adamai smirked and attempted to strike Horizon with his tail. Horizon managed to successfully grab the tail and swing it around before throwing Adamai into a pillar. He fell to his knees. Horizon turned around and hugged Evangelyne with tears in his eyes. Evangelyne was a little surprised and frightened, but she felt better realizing it was Horizon. She gave Horizon a hug and a few pats to the back. Horizon looked up at her with tears running down his face.

"So much had happened in such a short time! I began to think-" said Horizon. He looked at Evangelyne and smiled. "You're alright."

Evangelyne smiled and placed a free hand on Horizon's cheek.

"I'm alright," she said.

Horizon let out a small smile before turning around to find an angry Adamai. Horizon's face turned serious and he stood upwards. Adamai let out a low Dragon growl. It was at that moment that the Brotherhood of the Tofu arrived. Yugo ran in between them, looking at Adamai.

"Ad, this has to stop!" he yelled. "You were willing to hurt our friends! Why?!"

"Oh, Yugo," said Adamai. "You never could see the bigger picture. Never had, probably never will. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good."

"SHUT UP!" yelled Horizon. He charged at Adamai and punched him in the gut. Adamai let out a low growl and retaliated with a kick to the gut. Horizon was sent backwards, but he quickly recovered and took out his axe. He threw it at Adamai, who flicked it away. Horizon recalled the axe, then proceeded to tackle Adamai. He began punching Adamai about five times before Yugo attempted to restrain him. Horizon stepped back.

"Let go of me Yugo!" yelled Horizon. He pried Yugo off of him, and threw him away before going to punch his gut. Adamai grabbed the fist and tried to use his other fist to punch Horizon. Horizon grabbed the fist and the two of them were attempting to push each other back. It was starting a bit normal, then their efforts began to break the tower apart. Adamai chuckled.

"Not even Dally could put up this much of a fight. You're a strong opponent."

Horizon began stepping forward, pushing Adamai back a little. Horizon's body was beginning to be consumed by fire. Horizon let out yells of anger as he was pushing Adamai back. His fire burned brighter when Horizon let out one final yell and sent a knee to Adamai's gut before kicking him away. Suddenly, Horizon was hit by a blue blast that sent him crashing into a wall. He fell to the ground in a lot of pain.

"Horizon!" yelled Evangelyne. Horizon groaned and looked up at the one who fired the blast. It was none other than Oropo.

"Once again, I have to do everything myself," he said. Adamai stood up and wiped the blood off his mouth. "Had your fill Adamai?"

"More than enough," said Adamai. Oropo looked back at Horizon.

"Young Horizon," said Oropo. "You've grown up. You remind me of your mother.."

"SHUT UP!" yelled Horizon. "MY MOTHER WAS A GREAT PARENT! _**KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YOUR FILTHY MOUTH, BEFORE I MAKE YOU ENDURE THE SLOWEST DEATH!**_ "

"My my, such a temper. That won't do at all," said Oropo. "Looks like you're going to have to go home and think about what you said."

"What?"

A large portal opened behind Horizon. Horizon widened his eyes. He began to be sucked into the portal. He drove his sword into the ground, but even that effort would prove futile. Horizon looked back at Evangelyne.

"I'll be back for you!" yelled Horizon. "I promise!"

The sword broke and Horizon was sent through the portal. The portal closed and Oropo chuckled.

"Grab the children," said Oropo. Adamai teleported and grabbed all three of the children. Elely tried to get away, but failed. The baby began to cry. Evangelyne had tears in her eyes.

"Can we kill the Brotherhood of the Tofu?" asked Adamai.

"No. Put them in the cells underneath the tower," said Oropo. "Let's see how long they can survive."

Adamai did as he was instructed and teleported all of them to a cell. He looked back at Oropo.

"And the children?" asked Adamai.

"Welcome them home, but.. punish Flopin for escaping," said Oropo. He then left. Adamai tossed Elely away, then put the baby somewhere safe. He then smirked at Flopin, who was crawling back in fear. Adamai smirked and raised his claws. The torture soon began.


	11. The Elemental Cra

Horizon landed on the roof of his home. His back was in a lot of pain. He groaned and stood up. He looked around to process his surroundings. He groaned once he found out that he was back in the Car Kingdom.

"Cra damn it," he said. "I'm back here. I have to get back to Evangelyne!"

He jumped off the roof and tried to leave, but was sent back by some sort of barrier. He crashed onto his door. He groaned in pain. He stood back up and went to examine the barrier. He touched it a few times.

"Well, it's some form of magic. But what kind? Can't be Huppermage, I killed that guy. Hmm...maybe someone on the outside can help me."

Horizon sat and waited patiently. About an hour passed when he noticed a female Cra walk past the house. He quickly began pounding on the barrier.

"Hey! I'm here! Let me out!" He yelled. "I'm trapped! Let me out!"

The female Cra just passed by without a care. Horizon wondered why? He came to the conclusion that they probably can't see or hear any living thing inside the barrier. Horizon sighed and pressed his head against the barrier. He fell to his knees and began to cry.

"I'm sorry Evangelyne," he muttered. "I wasn't able to help you. I'm sorry Flopin for putting you in danger. I'm sorry Elely, I sent you straight to them. I'm sorry, Brotherhood of the Tofu...because of me, you're going to die."

Horizon looked back at his home and wiped the tears off his face.

"Mother...why'd you have to leave me?"

He began thinking about that fateful day only three years ago. Three years ago when he lost his mother. Three years ago when he lost his childhood. Three years ago when he lost his soul. The room was lit by a single candle. The sun was beginning to set and disappear beneath the horizon. Horizon entered the room and stopped at the sight of his mother. She was pale, extremely pale. She was alarmingly thin as well. He slowly walked up to the bed and sat on a chair, looking down at his mother.

"Mom?" he asked in a broken voice. Melody turned around slowly and obviously painfully to look at her son. Her face was sad and pained, but it brightened just a little at the sight of her son. She smiled a little.

"My little boy..." she said in a pained voice. "I was hoping I'd see you again."

"I'm here Mom, I'm here!" said Horizon. "And I'll never leave your side until you get better."

"Oh, my child," Melody said with a saddened expression, "I am not getting better. My time is coming. Soon, I'll be one with Cra."

"Don't say that!" yelled Horizon. "I don't want to believe that! I refuse to believe that! You're not dying. You're just a little sick! You'll be okay! I turned out fine and so will you!"

Melody suddenly looked worried.

"She poisoned you?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'm fine," said Horizon, the tears forming in his eyes. "I only lost half my sight, but I'll be fine! And you'll be fine too! Everything will be okay!"

The tears began to fall from his face. Melody lifted her shaking hand to wipe a tear off of it. Horizon grabbed her hand with both of his. His hands and arms were trembling violently, the tears flooding his face and pouring onto the floor like rain.

"I'm not," he said. "I'm not going to let you go."

Melody smiled again. She had tears in her eyes as well.

"Horizon, remember what I'm about to tell you. I'm always with you. In mind and in spirit, I'm with you forever. Even if I die, I'll never truly leave. If you find yourself lost, alone, or desperate for help, look to Cra for guidance. She will help you..."

Horizon nodded, those words burned into his memory.

"I-I love you," he said. Melody smiled.

"I love you too," she said. She then took her final breath, her jade green eyes withering into grey as her whole body went limp. Horizon's hands were trembling so much that he could not hold on. The hand he was grabbing onto fell limp, confirming Horizon's fear. His mother was dead. He tried to grab onto the hand, but some Cra soldiers picked him up and began leaving the room, despite Horizon's constant struggles.

"NO!" he yelled. "NO, PUT ME DOWN! I PROMISED I'D NEVER LET GO! PUT ME DOWN! MOM!"

The doors closed and that was the last time Horizon saw his mother alive. The tears fell from Horizon's face as he remembered that event. But then he remembered what his mother told him. Look to Cra for guidance. He fell to his knees and began to pray.

"Dear Cra above," he began. "I beg this of you. Please aid me. Please aid me in my quest to save Evangelyne. Please. She's the only friend I have left. Please...Please help me. Or find somebody who can. Please."

The Brotherhood of the Tofu was sitting in a cell. Yugo was leaning against a wall, Percedal was pacing back and forth, Ruel was playing a harmonica he paid about fifty Kamas for. Money well spent in his opinion, Amalia was shivering in the corner, and Evangelyne was resting on the cell bed. Adamai walked towards the cell and stopped in front of it, holding his hands behind his back. Yugo looked up and walked towards him.

"Ad, get us out!" he yelled. Adamai simply laughed.

"And why would I do that?" asked Adamai. "I only dropped by so I could show you something. Something that you won't want to see."

"Ad...please...if you don't stop...I'll...I'll..."

"You'll what, Yugo?" he asked. "You'll stop me? You'll defeat me? You'll...kill me?"

Yugo sighed and fell to his knees.

"I'd never do that to you," said Yugo. "You're my brother. My family. I would never do anything to like to you."

"I would," said Percedal. He got up and began to run towards the cell door when he suddenly stopped. He stopped because Adamai moved one of his from behind his back to reveal a beaten, bloodied, and unconscious Flopin. Evangelyne opened her eyes to the terrible sight and hurried to the door.

"Flopin!" she yelled. She tried to reach out for him, but Adamai slapped her hand with his tail.

"Ah, ah, ah," said Adamai. "Anyone tries to stop us, he dies."

Adamai began squeezing Flopin's stomach. Flopin yelled out weakly and the sound of ribs breaking could be heard. Evangelyne shook her head as tears were running down her face.

"STOP HURTING HIM! STOP HURTING MY SON!" she yelled. Adamai rolled his eyes and stopped before throwing Flopin at a wall. Flopin's head split open and he fell to the ground. Adamai chuckled.

"Whoops," he said. "I guess he won't be battle-ready just yet."

"Battle ready?" asked Yugo. "What are you talking about?"

Adamai thought about it for a moment. Should he tell them about Oropo's true plan? Or should he keep it a secret from them. It really wouldn't matter, since they would all die. He smirked.

"Alright," he said. "Since you all are going to die soon, I'll tell you the plan. Oropo is taking what demigods he has left and we're going to go to war with the World of Twelve. We will lay waste to all the kingdoms! We're going to start off with the Sadida Kingdom."

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" yelled Amalia.

"Oh really? And who's going to stop me? Your father is on the brink of death and your brother, well...he'll gladly hand it over to us."

Amalia widened her eyes. She felt shocked and betrayed. She shook her head in denial.

"Armand would never do such a thing!" she said. "He'd never betray the Sadida Kingdom!"

Adamai chuckled.

"You're right," said Adamai. "He wouldn't. Not willingly. But, I've found out that pain...can be very persuasive."

Adamai looked back at Flopin. "To some more than others. Well, I'll leave you all to die now. Enjoy the rest of your days."

Adamai walked to Flopin, picked him up, and walked back up to the first floor, leaving Evangelyne to cry, and the Brotherhood of the Tofu to die in defeat.

A day had passed. A day turned into three days. Three days turned into a week, and a week turned into a month. An entire month, and Horizon was still praying to Cra. He didn't have as much faith as he did a month ago, but the faith was still there. He began to mutter his final prayer.

"Please," he said. "Please help me."

That was all he said before finally giving up. It was over. He would never save Evangelyne. He cried himself to sleep.

On the other side of the Cra Kingdom, there was an blacksmith, forging some weapons for a patient customer. He wiped the sweat off of his brow.

"Son!" he yelled. "Can you grab the hammer while I reheat the blade?"

"Sure thing father!" a young Cra said. He looked different from your regular Cra. He had black hair and blue eyes, and he had large defined muscles. He grabbed the hammer and set it down next to his father when he looked at his left palm. There was a mark on it, and it was glowing blue. He turned towards his father. "Father, the mark!"

The father looked at the mark, then looked up to his son and nodded.

"Go," he said. "You serve a greater purpose now. I'll run the shop."

"Thank you father," he said. He ran out of the shop and towards his destination. A female Cra was taking a walk around the kingdom. She had long, flowing blonde hair, jade green eyes and two DDs on her chest. She was the most beautiful woman in the Cra Kingdom. She looked down at her palm. She also had a mark on one of them and it was glowing a sort of clear color. The girl hurried to the destination. A male Cra with numerous scars all over his body was drinking at the bar. He let out a sigh.

"After so many wars, you'd think a guy could receive just a little bit of rest," he said. He looked at his palm. The mark on it was glowing black. Be chuckled and finished his drink. "No rest for the wicked."

He ran towards his destination. All three of them arrived at their destination: Horizon's house, just outside the barrier. Horizon looked up to see the three of them, then looked at his palms. One of them had a mark that was glowing a bright red. He widened his eyes in surprise. Meanwhile the three Cra looked at each other

"So...you guys were called here too?" asked the Blacksmith's son.

"It would seem so," said the soldier.

"This is an odd place to be, there's nothing here," said the female Cra. Suddenly, their marks glowed again, and their arms were pulled towards the barrier. Once they made contact, the soldier Cra seemed suspicious.

"Odd," he said. "This barrier is a very strong magic. No Cra made this barrier."

"Can we break it down?" asked the Blacksmith's son.

"Possibly," said the soldier. He placed his hand on it. The other two did the same. The barrier began to disintegrate and it shattered like glass. Once the barrier was gone, Horizon was revealed to be looking up at them. He stood up and looked at the three of them.

"Thank you," said Horizon. "Thank you guys so much! I've been behind that thing for a month!"

"Did you put it up?" asked the female Cra. Horizon shook his head.

"No," said Horizon. "But I do know who did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to-"

Horizon stopped. The marks were glowing now. They looked at each other, then at their marks. They put the marked hands together. Suddenly, a large bright light engulfed them. While they were in the light, they felt an incredible power awaken inside of them. Suddenly, the light disappeared and they all looked at their hands.

"That was awesome!" yelled the Blacksmith's son. "I feel incredible! I feel like I could move the entire World of Twelve!"

"Indeed, I do feel stronger," said the soldier Cra.

"Guys, our hands!" yelled the female Cra.

The four of them looked at the back of their hands. The left hands began to form something, however. It started with the soldier Cra. His mark was pitch black. It was a word written in Cra text. He looked up at everyone.

"Earth," he said.

The Blacksmith's son looked at his hand. On his hand, there was a blue word in Cra text. Meaning:

"Water."

The female Cra looked at her hand. The text read the following.

"Air."

"And fire," said Horizon. He saw his hand burn with that Mark onto his hand. He looked at the other three Cra that surrounded him. Suddenly, the clouds parted and the four of them looked up to see it. There she was, descending from the heavens, the beautiful and magnificent goddess, Cra herself. The four of them widened their eyes in fear, surprise, excitement, and nervousness. They all quickly knelt before her, but Cra simply shook her head.

" _Rise, my warriors,_ " she said. " _There is no need for that._ "

"Mighty, beautiful goddess-" began the soldier, but he was interrupted by Cra chuckling.

" _Oh, no need for that,_ " she said. " _You can address me as Cra. I get enough praise as it is. You were saying?_ "

"Yes, well, I was merely going to ask, what exactly happened to us?"

Cra smiled a humble smile and descended down to their level. She had made herself only a few feet taller than the tallest of the four, which was the soldier. She looked around at the four of them.

" _You all have been chosen, to be my Elementals._ "

Horizon widened his eyes. He had heard so much about them, studied about them, saw paintings and occasionally drew paintings of the Elemental Cra, and yet never had he dreamed of becoming an Elemental Cra himself. He had a question of his own now.

"But Cra," he began. "Why me? Why us? Why did you choose us when there are many warriors who have proven their worth?"

" _An excellent question child,_ " she said. " _To become an Elemental, one does not prove their worth in battle, but in their darkest moments, when they have met their limitations, and when they have done whatever it takes to proceed with an objective. Even skipping their training._ "

Horizon blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head while chuckling.

"Well, I didn't technically skip it," he said. "I just kinda quit! Hehe."

Cra chuckled a little and addressed the four of them.

" _Each and every one of you, have something about you, or something you've done in your life that makes you suitable for your element. Droxien._ "

She turned to look at the soldier Cra.

" _Your tears from the loss you endured in countless wars has transformed you into a mighty ocean whose tides form the mightiest tsunamis that flood the battlefield. And you have molded that ocean into a calm majestic river during times of need. That is why I chose you to be the Water Elemental._ "

The soldier Droxien bowed down respectfully.

"Thank you ma'am."

Cra turned to the female Cra.

" _Madeline. Your calmness is as warm as the east winds, and your fury is as cold as the north winds. For this reason, I have given you the Air element._ "

Madeline bowed.

"Thank you dear," she said. Cra turned to the Blacksmith's son.

" _Mortreus, your strength is solid and your will is unbreakable. This is why I chose to bestow upon you, the Earth Element._ "

Mortreus bowed.

"I appreciate the kind gesture," he said. Cra then turned to Horizon.

" _Horizontorus. Your fury is a wildfire that burns the forests, but it dies so quickly. However, this is not why I chose you. I chose you, because there's a greater fire that burns inside of you. The fire of passion. The love you have shown towards your friends has ignited and burns brighter than the sun. This is why I chose to give you the fire element. And this is why I am making you the leader of the Elemental Cra._ "

Horizon widened his eyes.

"But Cra, I-I'm just a young boy. I'm not ready."

" _On the contrary,_ " said Cra. " _You are far more ready for what is to come than you are willing to believe._ "

Cra smiled and addressed the four of them once more.

" _The four of you have been chosen to save the World of Twelve. Its darkest hour is approaching and you four are needed to save it. I must return to my realm. I trust you all. Farewell!_ "

And with that, Cra ascended to the heavens, waving goodbye to the new Elemental Cra. They all waved as well. They then turned towards Horizon.

"Where do we go now, sir?" asked Droxien. He saluted Horizon. Horizon turned towards the doors of the Cra Kingdom. He clenched his fists.

"To the Tower of Dreams."


End file.
